Test helps select most effective chemotherapy for leukemia and other cancers

Acute myelocytic leukemia responds significantly better to chemotherapy selected by a test that shows the ability of each chemotherapeutic agent to induce apoptosis (cell death) according to research just published in the journal Leukemia & Lymphoma. This joins the list of other malignancies including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer that are treated more effectively with chemotherapy screened by the microculture kinetic (MiCK) drug-induced apoptosis assay. The authors state:

"Overall survival (OS) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains poor. Determining prognostic factors will help in selecting patients for appropriate treatments. Our aim was to determine whether the level of drug-induced apoptosis (chemosensitivity) demonstrated by the microculture-kinetic drug-induced apoptosis (MiCK) assay significantly predicted outcomes after standard AML induction therapy."

They analyzed blood and/or bone marrow aspirate samples of 109 patients with untreated AML for anthracycline-induced apoptosis (in this case cell death due to sensitivity to the chemotherapeutic agent) using the MiCK assay. Then they measured the amount of apoptosis observed over 48 hours using the metric kinetic units of apoptosis (KU). The MicK assay was illuminating:

"Complete remission (CR) was significantly higher (72%) in patients with high idarubicin-induced apoptosis >3 KU compared to patients with apoptosis ≤3 KU. Multivariate analysis showed the only significant variables to be idarubicin-induced apoptosis and karyotype. Median overall survival of patients with idarubicin-induced apoptosis >3 KU was 16.1 months compared to 4.5 months in patients with apoptosis ≤3 KU (p = 0.004). Multivariate analysis showed the only significant variable to be idarubicin-induced apoptosis."

In other words, the MiCK assay provided an accurate prediction of how effective the chemotherapy under consideration would be in inducing apoptosis (death) of the leukemia cells. The authors conclude:

"Chemotherapy-induced apoptosis measured by the MiCK assay demonstrated significant correlation with outcomes and appears predictive of complete remission and overall survival for patients receiving standard induction chemotherapy."

Links for other studies evaluating the MiCK assay for breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer are available on the DiaTech® Oncology website.